Luke Donald

Better Bunker Shots

Five experts help you save strokes from the sand

BY TOM MACKIN — Summer 2018

Former world No. 1 Luke Donald estimates that more than half of his PGA Tour counterparts prefer to play out of a greenside bunker rather than thick, heavy rough around a green. “I’ve been at, or near, the top of the stats in bunker play for a few years, and hitting from the rough is always more guesswork,” he says. “With bunkers, you usually get a reasonably good lie and you can control the shot. There’s not as much of the element of luck. It’s more skill.” But building that skill takes time, patience, and practice. Click on the following links for tips from five professionals and instructors who know their way around those dreaded bunkers. They examine a variety of lies to help you get out of the sand with ease and fewer strokes. Plus, view video demonstrations of each tip.